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Ike's struggles stand out as Mets' bats come to life

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By Anthony DiComo
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MLB.com |

ST. LOUIS -- For the first time in recent memory on Thursday, the Mets were hitting well. Daniel Murphy reached base five times. David Wright cranked out multiple RBI hits. The bottom of the order kept the line moving.

But Ike Davis was still not invited to the party. Instead, the first baseman's struggles only deepened with an 0-for-5 performance against the Cardinals, including strikeouts in each of his first four at-bats.

"He had a rough day today," manager Terry Collins said. "He's having trouble with the off-speed stuff, and they're giving him a steady diet of it."

When Collins moved Davis back to the cleanup spot in his lineup last weekend, he seemed to be personally challenging his first baseman. Collins insisted that Davis would be able to emerge from his funk, if for no other reason than the fact that he did so last year.

But Davis is 0-for-22 with 10 strikeouts over his past six games, including 0-for-16 in four games batting cleanup. Both he and Collins believed he had been taking better swings entering Thursday's game, though that served only to amplify his frustration.

"Today was an awful day," said Davis, whose .157 average is actually lower than it was at this point last year. "I can't really say anything else. It was just really bad."

Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDicomo. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.